Rat: How the World’s Most Notorious Rodent Clawed its Way to the Top by Jerry Langton
May 5, 2008 by Jackie
A lot of people would be put off reading about the world’s most infamous rodent, but this book might turn your disgust into admiration. The author is genuinely fascinated by his subject and it’s contagious. His conversational style is a mix of anecdotes and facts, it feels like a friend is sharing a story they read in that morning’s newspaper. He gleans information from not only biologists and historians, but also exterminators, rat fanciers and high-rise apartment custodians. Langton went into sewers, alleys and staked out restaurant dumpsters to see rats in their native habitats.
He tells us the difference between the original black rat, which is smaller and climbs higher and the misnamed Norway, or brown rat; which is larger, more aggressive and has supplanted the black rat in most areas of the world. We learn that rats can leap 4 feet straight into the air, can hold their breath for 3 minutes underwater and have a membrane behind their teeth to prevent swallowing when they are chewing inedible items such as concrete. One of the most amazing things I found was that rats have a collapsible rib cage, this is what allows them to squeeze through such small spaces. And they prefer scrambled eggs to all other food.
Expansions and explorations of humans have enabled rats to flourish, their migrations have closely followed our movements, so we get a nicely done overview of history and how it has been mutually influential. He compares the view of rats in various cultures; in the Chinese Zodiac, the Karnimata temple in India, as a food source in Africa.
Of course, there is much discussion of them as pests and how eradicating them is nearly impossible. “I like to think of street rats as being like really bad transvestites, “ said Ben, a Brooklyn-based exterminator. “You put ‘em someplace like Iowa or your living room and everyone’s going to make a big fuss, but here in New York, people just keep on walking… they’ve got too much to do.” But nearly all of the exterminators bear a grudging respect for rats’ intelligence and ingenuity. Perhaps, by the time you finish this riveting book, you will too.
St. Martin’s Press 2006 207 pp. ISBN-13 978-0-312-36384-0
I’m not sure I could read this one, Jackie. Even the use of the word ‘contagious’ at the beginning gave me the shivers. Still, I remember reading once that if rats were eradicated then our sewage system couldn’t cope so I suppose they are useful.
I think I preferred not knowing about the leaping.
I’m very fond of rats … of the rodentine variety, anyway. The human sort I can live without.
Do mice have the same collapsible ribcages? I expect they do … which explains why they can get through impossibly small holes …
I don’t know about mice having that same feature, Mhari. The author showed that there is a lot of differences between the 2 species, that mice aren’t really mini versions of rats. In the book, many of the pest control people commented on the stupidity of mice and I know from my own experience(in a pet shop) that mice are far more nervous and reactive than the calm and calculation of rats.
What an original thing to review Jackie. Reminds me of a book I have on The Fly which is similarly fascinating (apparently they form like building blocks and so can so they have managed to evolve one with two arses…though it didnt survive long.) Sorry, that’s a bit grotesque for you, I suddenly realise. But perhaps you have a stern stomach if you are reading rat books.
When I worked for the local paper one of my features of the week was interviewing a rat-catcher. He showed me how they look for ratruns round the periphery of the garden - it was all quite fascinating. And yes, i think he did have respect, even fondness for them.
I find the reaction to reading about rats strange, though I realize it’s mostly cultural training. I didn’t find I needed any more of a strong stomach as I would’ve for say, lions hunting on the savannah, less so actually. People would never say the same things if I’d have told them I was reading about robins or goldfish. It’s weird.
Rats are phenomenally intelligent animals. When you look at one and it looks back at you, you get the feeling there’s someone in there …